By Stephen Appezzato
FAIR HAVEN – In the Borough of Fair Haven, four candidates are vying for two open seats on the council, Democratic incumbents Meghan Chrisner-Keefe and Mike McCue and Republican challengers Kristen Hoey and Andrew LaBarbera. Here are their thoughts on partisan politics and the state of their town.
Meghan Chrisner-Keefe (D-incumbent)
“Fair Haven is a small, tight-knit community and its residents hold a myriad of
viewpoints. As an elected official, it is my role to ensure the voices of all residents are conveyed in every decision I make, action I take and issue I raise. Listening is critical to serving. It means not just hearing others speak, but understanding and, in turn, valuing their points of view and opinions. Through listening, I’ve been able to escalate concerns, propose
well-received solutions and make an impact for our community. I strive to convey everyone’s ideas, needs, and concerns, even if I disagree on a personal level, as it is my duty to serve everyone, whether they voted for me or not – and, as a lifelong Fair Havenite, it is my honor.
Throughout my past three years serving as Councilwoman, I have listened, responded and acted at every opportunity to ensure each voice is represented. I am committed to leading through listening as my goal is to always work hard to improve the lives of my neighbors.
So, while the divisiveness of national politics can impact municipalities like Fair Haven, I am proud that my fellow council members and I have a productive rapport and that we remain focused on working together to maintain and improve our community. If re-elected, I will continue to work cohesively with the governing body to accomplish Fair Haven’s goals.”
Kristen Hoey (R)
“When I think about Fair Haven, the first word that comes to mind is opportunity. At the local level, we have a tremendous opportunity to put political party affiliations aside to do what is best for our local community; to serve our community. In other words, we have a tremendous opportunity to focus on Fair Haven.
Each of us running in this election have similar goals in mind: a safe town, fields that are green and clean, the best education for our children, a vibrant senior citizen community that remains in town, and a thriving business community. Assuming we all agree on “what” is most important to our community, I see an opportunity for the Council to effect change by improving “how” we work together. We need to listen, with intent, to others’ perspectives. We need to invest the time in understanding the full range of possible outcomes before forming an
opinion. We need to respect one another, regardless of political party affiliations. We need to work collaboratively toward our shared goals. At the end of the day, we need to focus on Fair Haven. Simply stated, we need to be good humans. I am proud to be running alongside Mayor
Halpern and Drew LaBarbera for Borough Council. Josh, Drew and I share the same core values. We have a strong sense of ethics and integrity. We listen more and talk less. We are authentic, transparent and action-oriented. Together, we have a combined 60+ years of experience leading teams successfully toward common goals. Mayor Halpern, Drew and I understand that in order to make progress, how (we go about getting things done) matters just as much as what (we are trying to achieve). I see this election as an opportunity to leverage my extensive experience working with large, complex organizations, bringing stakeholders with opposing views, from all backgrounds, together to achieve a common goal. If elected, plan to approach our Borough Council with the same authentic style: Listen. Learn. Make a Decision. Take Action.”
Andrew LaBarbera (R)
“National politics are critical to our Nation’s democracy. These topics transcend into Fair Haven with a wide variety of implications. However, at the local government level, specifically Borough
Council, the powers granted to have direct change at the national level are, by design, limited. Quite simply, matters of national politics are outside of the local government purview; these are the responsibilities of our elected officials of the U.S. Senate and U.S. Congress.
Fair Haven’s Borough Council is not about politics in the traditional sense. It is the art of compromise and making hard decisions to both preserve and advance our community. Our Governing Body should remain focused solely on our town’s issues, including community safety, prudent oversight of Municipal tax dollars, and the preservation of our natural environment. With the local nature of the Borough Council candidacy in mind, my approach is to embody three core principles: (1) truth and accuracy, (2) active listening and validation, and (3) responsibility and accountability. These are key pillars to develop common grounds of empathy and bridge disparatepoints of view. My motivations and intent will always align with, and be guided by, the best interests of our residents and community. On all critical issues facing Fair Haven, I’ll work from day one to transparently build consensus toward solutions. It is paramount to actively listen to all constituents, including those who are passionate about issues. However, we must accept that Borough Council is not the forum for symbolic gestures aimed solely at expressing praise or displeasure with national politics. This “grandstanding” can needlessly tear apart the community in intangible but very real ways and distract from solving town issues. Our team is focused on Fair Haven, both in striving for the greatest impact within the authority of the Council and in maintaining a strong sense of community.”
Mike McCue (D-incumbent)
“As a lifelong resident of Fair Haven, I am proud to be able to contribute to the community that raised me. I was raised with the spirit of volunteerism that runs through the fabric of Fair Haven. Raising my own children and volunteering at the same events I did as a kid, I am proud to say the same spirit remains today.
My goal coming onto council was to preserve the traditions of Fair Haven while continuing to move forward. We all share the same love for the same special town. There is room for us all to be a part of sharing the town traditions and create new ones. It’s the people, the spirit and the traditions that make Fair Haven a great place to never leave, and a great place to move to and make your home. We are very fortunate to have so many wonderful people ready to contribute their ideas, time and talent to make Fair Haven even better.
This is all not to say the national politics aren’t seen here, they are. But they do not and must not enter our discussions and decisions on the Council. I have always had the mindset that national politics have no place at the town level. I have enjoyed my time serving on Council and I am proud of the accomplishments we have had during my time served so far. We have worked hard to bring the overdue Police Department and DPW projects to fruition and I look forward to seeing the projects through. We have been working through several road and sidewalk projects, many have been completed or are in process. Most recently, of course, River Road, the next project in queue is the final stage of Third Street, going out to bid in November. I plan on continuing to work with the BOE and Chief McGovern on getting a school safety officer at Knollwood and continuing to work on safety in our schools as Council Liaison for the BOE and for Police, Fire and OEM. All of this work and all the work ahead is for the community and the people of Fair Haven.”
The article originally appeared in the October 27 – November 2, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
